Phyllis Marshall was an accomplished Canadian jazz singer. She was born in Barrie, Ontario, in 1921 and began studying the piano as a young child. Her many years of practice would later lead her to perform on radio station CRCT by the age of 15 and soon after for CBC radio with Percy Faith. She would go on to appear on radio for “”Blues for Friday””, starred on Canadian television shows “The Big Revue”, and appearing in many others. Her illustrious career would lead her to sing and perform with legends such as Oscar Peterson and Bert Niosi. She’s been called a ‘contemporary Eleanor Collins’—performing with various dance bands, her own trio, and with the Cab Calloway Orchestra.

After performing for BBC television, her LP That Girl, was recorded featuring US jazz stars Buck Clayton and Buddy Tate. The 1964 record would go on to receive a Juno award for “Good Music Product LP”. Marshall not only had a groundbreaking jazz career, but was a television wonder; acting in Night Heat, the Cross Canada Hit Parade, and theatre productions such as A Streetcar Named Desire in London, England. She was prolific in Canada, the US, and in Europe, but chose to keep roots primarily in her home country. Phyllis Marshall passed in 1996 in Toronto at the age of 74, leaving behind the memory of a courageous, and gripping talent that continues to mold Canadian jazz.